The Scream of the Sinister Swamp Spook
by Fegerrific
Summary: When a hideous monster attacks a swamp tour in Florida, the owner calls Mystery Incorporated for help. The gang arrives on the scene to solve the case. But between a ruthless land developer, a rival tour company and a vicious creature born of swamp sludge, can the gang capture the culprit before they end up in a hungry gator's stomach?
1. Cruisin' Down the Highway

"It's great to be back in sunny Florida," Daphne exclaimed as the Mystery Machine bumped its way down the road.

"Like, I can't wait to get my hands on some Southern cookin'!" Shaggy exclaimed from the backseat.

"Slurp! Slurp! Ree-hee-hee! Re roo!" Scooby barked.

Fred steered the van down a crowded street. "Not yet, you two. This isn't a vacation. A man named Frank Jenkins called us and asked for our help with a monster problem."

"Frank runs a swamp tour that's being haunted by a hideous swamp monster," Velma explained.

Shaggy's hair spiked in fright as his eyes widened. "Zoinks! Like, why can't we ever just give tours or something?"


	2. Let's Meet the Monster!

"Well, gang, here we are. Frank Jenkins' Swamp Tours," Fred exclaimed as he pulled into a deserted parking lot.

"Jeepers, there's no one here," said Daphne as her eyes lingered on the cracked pavement and dilapidated shack on the edge of the swamp. An airboat bobbed in the murky green sludge.

A heavyset blond man strolled out from behind the ticket booth. "Are you Mystery Incorporated?" he asked.

"We sure are," Fred said. "I'm Fred. This is Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo."

"Hey, guys," Frank replied, shaking hands (and paws.) "Thanks so much for coming. It really means a lot to me,"

"Well, we always get our monster. Or man in a monster suit, as it usually turns out to be," replied Velma.

"Ah hope that's all it is," said Frank. "Ah don' much care for that supernatural mumbo-jumbo. Why don't you come on inside and I'll give y'all the tour."

Fred, Velma and Daphne strode in. "Come on, you chickens," Velma shouted to the Mystery Machine. Shaggy and Scooby exited the van, squawking and flapping. "What hams."

Once inside the shack, Mystery Incorporated admired the decor: alligator pelts, tribal-looking masks and tacky Florida souvenirs littered the inside. Velma ambled over to a makeshift desk littered with papers. She sifted through a stack of envelopes, all marked with FINAL NOTICE. "Hmmmm…"

"My swamp tours took a real jump in business when they built that new highway; the one you all came in on. It goes right past my old shack. Ah couldn't keep up the pace for a while. But now that this monster business is scarin' away all my customers, I might just lose the old place."

"It would be a blessing," interrupted a shrill female voice. Mystery Incorporated turned to see a tall woman, dressed in a black business suit, darkening the door. "Then you'd have to sell. And then I could expand Mariawood, two floors of luxury shopping, dining and gambling!"

Frank turned to face the woman, weariness etched on every line of his face. "Maria. This swamp will never be yours. No ghost or monster is EVER going to make me sell!" he exclaimed.

"We'll just see about that," Maria spat. She tossed her ebony hair, turned on her high heels and clopped away.

As the sound of Maria's heels faded, Velma turned to Frank, who had collapsed into a chair. "Who was that?"

"Maria Webb. She's a local businesswoman. She's wanted to buy this land from me for years so she can expand her precious Mariawood mall. But enough about her. You need to meet my monster."

"Ronster!" shouted Scooby. "Ruh-uh. Roooo Ray!"

"Like I'm with Scooby on this one," Shaggy chorused. "There's no way I'm goin' in that spooky swamp with that gooney ghoulie on the loose." A quick bribe with some Scooby Snacks and the pair reluctantly boarded the airboat.

Frank started up the engine and strapped a strange device to his forehead; a disc-shaped light attached to an elastic strap. "What's that for, Mr. Jenkins?" Fred asked, indicating the device.

"It's a headlamp, son," Frank answered, flipping the light on for demonstration. "Just something that gives some light. The swamp can get pretty dark, after all."

As the fan's blades turned, the wind bounded them along the surface of the murky water. "So what's been happening during your tours?" Daphne shouted over the fan's turbines.

"Well, darlin'," Frank began, "They start out jus' fine, I take 'em round the swamp for a while. Then I've got this cave up there in the swamp. Ah take 'em up through that an' then there it is. Horrid and scaly, snarlin' and roarin' it is. And then it chases after us, intent on makin' us its next meal."

"Jeepers," Daphne shivered. "Sounds awful!"

"You'll see for yourself in a few," Frank replied. "Here's the cave now."

He flipped on his headlamp and steered the boat into the mouth of the cave. Frank's headlamp gave off a feeble glow, illuminating the waters ahead.

As the boat rounded a bend in the cave, the headlamp illuminated the creature standing on a small strip of land. Its eyes glowed malevolently in the near-darkness. Shaggy recoiled in horror, accidentally dropping the box of Scooby Snacks into the murky sludge.

"Jinkies!" Velma exclaimed. "It is real!"

The beast stood up to its full height, waving its arms and growling threateningly, showing razor-sharp teeth. The beast dived into the water and gave chase. "Hurry, Frank," Fred gasped. "It's going to try to swamp us!"

"I'm hurrying! But this boat don't turn on a dime!"

The boat managed to outrace the swamp monster to land safely back at the pier. The gang and Frank disembarked, still shaken from their ghostly encounter.

"That…thing…was horrifying!" Daphne gasped.

"That blasted beast has scared off every tour guest," Frank complained. "Can you kids help?"

Shaggy and Scooby motioned refusal, but Mystery Incorporated agreed to take the case.

"Do you know of anyone who would want to do this to you?" Daphne asked.

"Maria Webb, the woman you met earlier. She'd do just about anything to get me to sell my swamp. You also may want to talk to Brock Knight down the road,"

"Brock Knight?" Velma questioned.

"He's one of my old pals from college. He started up a swamp tour as well, so you can see if he's having trouble with the creature. He's a bit off the main road, though; the new highway they built just missed him."

"Well, let's split up, gang," Fred announced. "Shaggy, you and Scooby go talk to Brock. Me and the girls will go deal with Ms. Webb."

"Like, anything to get away from that spooky swamp specter," Shaggy said as he and Scooby piled into the Mystery Machine.


	3. Let's Split Up, Gang!

"Look, Fred, there's the place," Daphne pointed at the weathered wooden sign creaking in the breeze.

As the Mystery Machine turned into the parking lot with a spray of gravel, a slim young man in a thin grey jacket and jeans strolled out to meet them. "Hi, all. My name's Brock Knight. Are you here for a tour?" he asked hopefully.

"Not quite." Brock's face fell. "We're Mystery Incorporated. We just came from Frank's down the road, and he asked us to talk to you."

"Pleased to meet you" Brock shook hands with the gang as they introduced themselves. "Yeah, Frank's been one of my best friends for, like, ever. He even helped me get started out here. Is this about the swamp monster he's been having problems with?"

The gang nodded in agreement. "Have you had any problems with the monster?" Velma asked.

"No, and I'm glad of it. I have my own problems, as you can see." He gestured to the empty parking lot. "Ever since they built that new highway, no one comes by anymore. I might have to close up shop. You're welcome to look around; I've got nothing to hide."

"Shaggy, you and Scooby stay here and have a look around. The girls and I will go talk to Ms. Webb."

"Webb? As in Maria Webb?" Brock asked, stroking his day-old stubble. "That woman came around here a while back, askin' me to sell. Then the new highway popped up and I haven't seen her since. Good luck."

Fred and the girls piled into the Mystery Machine and drove off.

Brock turned to Shaggy and Scooby. "You're welcome to look around wherever. I can't afford to run the boat, so if you're going into the swamp, you'll have to go on foot. Don't worry. It's perfectly safe; there aren't any gators within miles of here. But you'll need headlamps." Brock ambled over to his docked airboat and rummaged through his gear. "Just strap them to your head and turn them on when you need them. The swamp can get pretty dark." He tossed the pair two headlamps, which they caught with ease.

"Like, groovy," Shaggy exclaimed. "Thanks, man."

"No problem. Hope you find the answers you need. I'll be in my office trying to salvage my business. And be careful. I can't afford a lawsuit either." With a weak chuckle, Brock strode off, leaving the pair alone.

"Into the swamp we go," Shaggy shuddered. "I hope there's, like, a snack bar in there."

While Shaggy and Scooby explored the swamp, the Mystery Machine pulled into the parking lot of the Mariawood mall. Daphne marveled at the buildings, all haphazardly interconnected in a dizzying configuration.

Windows shone with dazzling new outfits and shoes like sparkling gems. She made a mental note to check out Nerdstroms if there was time.

"According to my research," Velma said as she shut her laptop and exited the van. "Maria Webb is a very prominent woman. She built Mariawood from the ground up. It's now the most-visited shopping center in Florida. It's no wonder why she would want to expand."

They entered the bustling mall and trouped to Maria's main office (stopping to drag Daphne away from Stacy's Department Store.)

"Do you have an appointment?" Maria's secretary demanded in a droll tone.

"Um…no," Fred stuttered. "We wanted to talk to Ms. Webb about the swampland she wants to purchase."

"Oh, you're reporters," the secretary said. "Well, go on in, Ms. Webb will be here in a moment."

Fred and the girls strode into Maria's lush office. Moments later, they heard the staccato of Ms. Webb's heels down the hall.

"Ms. Webb, there are some reporters waiting for you," the secretary said in monotone. "I sent them on into your office. I bet it's about your upcoming expansion."

"Expansion?" Maria roared. "No one's supposed to know about that yet! Although it's almost a guarantee if everything goes well. It shouldn't hurt to talk about it."

Maria entered her office, a false smile plastered on her face. "Hello, dearies," Maria giggled. "I understand that you're looking for a charming front-page story about the fifth-time winner of 'Entrepreneur of the Year!"

"Actually, Ms. Webb, we're Mystery Incorporated," began Fred. "We wanted to talk to you about the swamp monster that's been haunting Frank Jenkins' swamp tours."

A shadow of concern crossed Maria's face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "I've heard of it. I just can't say I'm too sorry about it. That land is prime real estate for Mariawood; it's right off the highway and within driving distance of all the theme parks.

"But if you kids think I had anything to do with the swamp monster, you're sorely mistaken. First of all, I'm not going in that swamp. My heels would be devastated. Not that it matters, I have 47 pairs, but…" Maria giggled, then continued. "Second of all, as a candidate for 'Entrepreneur of the Year,' I can't be bothered with dressing up like a ridiculous ghost to get some choice land. Now, get out of my office!"

After being unceremoniously evicted, the gang piled into the Mystery Machine and drove back to Frank's shack in search of more clues.


	4. Clue Collection

Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby trekked through the swamp on foot. Scooby, nose to the ground, spotted something. "Look, Raggy! Racks!"

"Like, you mean tracks?" Shaggy bent down to examine them. "Wow, those look like they came from that swamp spook, all right. We should show these to Freddy and the girls." With his cell phone, he snapped a picture of the beast's footprints. "Let's see where they lead."

The dog-and-detective duo followed the tracks and found themselves nose-to-nose with the swamp monster! "RIPE!" Scooby gasped.

"Like, gangwaaaay!" Shaggy screeched as he and Scooby dashed off in fear through the swamp, shouting in fear as the monster gained on them.

They stumbled through sludge, ducked below dangling tree limbs, struggled through slimy vines and raced into a dark cave before staring at a dead end of rock. "Like, this is the end, Scoob," Shaggy sobbed as he hugged his beloved pet.

"Rait ra rinute! Racks!" Scooby sniffed.

"Snacks?" Shaggy asked, bewildered. "Like, I'm all for a final meal and all, but…"

"Rollow re!" Scooby exclaimed as he squeezed through a small opening in the rock face. Shaggy shuddered, but quickly followed suit. The pair squeezed through a tight tunnel before coming out onto a strip of dry land.

"Yuck!" Shaggy exclaimed as he wiped debris from his eyes. "Hey, this is where the monster first attacked us. Hmmm."

Shaggy and Scooby made their way to Frank's shack, where the rest of Mystery Incorporated was assembled.

"Jeepers, what happened to you two?" Daphne asked, taking in their muck-spattered, debris-covered bodies.

"Ronster!" Scooby answered.

"Like, he attacked us and chased us through the swamp. And get this, Scooby led us through a cave tunnel and we came out right by the old cave in Frank's part of the swamp."

"Interesting. Things are beginning to add up," Velma mused aloud.

Shaggy pulled out his cell phone. "And look at this." He pulled up the picture of the monster's footprint.

Velma took the phone and examined the tracks. "Hmmm…there's something odd about these prints. There's an impression in the center of the foot...looks like...sneaker treads! Jinkies!" she exclaimed. "I think I've solved this mystery!"

"Great!" Fred exclaimed. "Now all that's left to do is capture that monster."

Scooby and Shaggy looked at each other with impending dread. "Rive rait?"

"Yeah, Scoob. Like, live bait," Shaggy answered.

"So, this is what we're going to do…" The gang gathered around as Fred explained the plan.


	5. Time to Set a Trap!

Frank revved up his airboat and steered two passengers, a very dog-like husband and his lanky, bearded wife, away from his dock and into the swamp.

"So, what brings you to sunny Florida?" Frank asked over the engine noise.

"Tee-hee, we're on our honeymoon," a falsetto voice sang out.

"Rhat's right, rearie," came a rough, scratchy voice.

"Well, we're heading into the last leg of our tour," Frank said as he steered the boat into the swamp monster's cavern.

The monster emerged from the darkness with a roar. Shaggy and Scooby abandoned their disguises and leaped out of boat, leading the beast on a frantic chase through the swamp. After dodging between trees, scaling vines and taking an impromptu swim, Shaggy and Scooby dashed across a well-camouflaged net. When the creature, hot on their tails, dashed across the net, Fred pulled on the attached rope. The net flew up, neatly capturing the beast.

"All right!" "Woohoo!" "We did it!" the gang's cheers overlapped as the swamp monster thrashed and snarled in the net.

Frank emerged from the swamp, huffing and puffing from trying to catch up. "I called the police," he gasped. "So who is it?"

Fred cut down the net and the monster flopped to the ground. Working quickly, Fred jerked the creature to its feet and tied the beast's hands behind its back. "Let's find out," he said. "Would you like to do the honors, Mr. Jenkins?"

"I sure would," he said, yanking the monster's mask off with a flourish.


	6. The Mystery is Revealed

"Brock Knight?" Frank exclaimed in shock as two police cars, sirens wailing, drove into the parking lot.

"Just as I thought," Velma said. "At first, I wondered if Frank wanted to scare everyone away from his business to collect insurance," Velma began. "I saw that he was behind on payments and thought maybe he wanted to claim business failure."

"But, like, wasn't he on the boat with us when the creature attacked?" Shaggy asked.

"That eliminated Frank, but we still had two more suspects," Velma confirmed. "Ms. Webb was a likely suspect, but any scandal would have cost her the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' award. I knew it was Brock when you showed me the tracks in the swamp. Look." She passed Shaggy's phone around to the assembled group. "Notice how the footprints look monstrous, but there's an impression in the middle of each print."

She lifted up Brock's foot, revealing that costume's feet didn't cover the bottom of his shoe. "An impression that matches Brock's sneaker treads, not Maria's trademark high-heels."

"Brock. You were my friend. Why would you do this?" Frank asked.

Brock refused to look his friend in the eye. "I was jealous. Jealous of you. You were so successful, raking in the cash while I was barely making ends meet. Because business was so bad, I had some extra time to poke around in the swamp, where I discovered the tunnel that led to your tour area. It gave me the idea to sneak around and scare your customers. I hoped they would come to me instead. I never meant to hurt anyone." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Frank."

"You mean you're sorry you got caught," the police officer corrected, placing a firm hand on Brock's shoulder and escorting him towards the waiting police car. "Move along now."

"Officer, wait," Frank held up a hand to stop them. "I don't want to press any charges."

"What?" Brock asked incredulously as the officer released him. "You would...forgive me?"

Frank nodded. "We've been friends for a long time, Brock. Let's put this whole mess behind us and focus on rebuilding our friendship...and our business. What do you say? Partners?"

Brock grinned, giving his friend's proffered hand a firm shake. "Partners."


	7. Epilogue: Back in Business

A grin spread across Frank's face as Brock put the finishing touches on a new sign:

**Haunted Swamp Tours  
The Curse of the Swamp Monster**

"Just look at this place!" Frank exclaimed. "I don't think I've ever been this busy." He gestured toward the line of cars straggling into the parking lot.

"Glad to help," Fred said as he and the girls clambered into the Mystery Machine.

"We took advantage of the connecting swamps and made the tour twice as long. I take the customers out on the airboat, while Brock waits in the swamp to scare them. I think we've got a real gold mine on our hands,"

Brock meandered over, twirling a paintbrush through his fingers. "And it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you meddlin' kids," he teased, stowing the brush in his back pocket. "Do I need to suit up yet? I've been practicing my bloodcurdling roars all week."

"All right, hotshot," Frank laughed, giving Brock's hair a friendly tousle. "Yeah, go suit up. Tours are going to be starting soon."

"Actually, I think you've got a replacement," Velma chuckled as she jerked a thumb back over her shoulder. "What a ham."

Scooby, dressed in the swamp monster costume, stomped and roared at the customers, who shrieked and gasped in mock horror.

Frank, Brock and the gang roared with laughter at Scooby's antics. "Rooby-rooby-RAAAWR!"


End file.
